200 missiles and drones left more than 1 million Ukrainians without power during the latest Russian attack

Russia carried out a large-scale overnight attack on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, President Vladimir Putin confirmed on Thursday, November 28, citing it as retaliation for Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory using American ATACMS missiles.

Speaking at a security summit in Kazakhstan, Putin said Russia had targeted 17 facilities, including military facilities and defense industries, but did not acknowledge damage to Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. “As I have said many times, there will always be a reaction from our side (to the use of American ATACMS),” Putin noted.

As a result of the attack, which used almost 200 rockets and drones, more than a million households in Ukraine were left without electricity, Ukrainian officials say. It marked Russia’s 11th large-scale attack on Ukraine’s energy supply this year, and the tactic led to nationwide power outages.

Widespread power outages throughout Ukraine

Ukrainian authorities have confirmed extensive damage from rocket fire that targeted energy facilities in many regions of the country. The attack comes less than two weeks after a similar attack, raising concerns that Russia intends to cripple Ukraine’s power generation capacity ahead of the harsh winter months.

Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko wrote in a Facebook post: “Attacks on energy facilities are taking place throughout Ukraine,” and added that emergency power outages have been introduced across the country to address the damage.

The Russian missile attack included Kalibr cruise missiles, some of which were armed with cluster munitions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack as an “insidious escalation.” Cluster munitions, which fire many small bombs over a wide area, pose significant risks to civilians both during and after an attack.

Concerns about ‘weaponizing for winter’

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly warned that Russia is stockpiling cruise and ballistic missiles for further pre-winter attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid. The ongoing bombing of energy infrastructure is seen as part of Russia’s “weaponize winter” strategy, aimed at preventing Ukrainian civilians from accessing basic services such as heating and water during the cold season.

Nearly half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure has been destroyed since the war broke out nearly three years ago, and rolling power outages are now commonplace.

In addition to civilian suffering, the attacks are aimed at hampering Ukraine’s defense industry, which is crucial to producing military assets such as missiles, drones and armored vehicles.

Rocket attacks hit cities across Ukraine

Reports of explosions came from many cities in Ukraine, including Kiev, Kharkov, Rivne, Khmelnytsky and Lutsk. The attacks not only left civilians without power, but also damaged critical infrastructure such as water supply systems. In the Rivne Oblast, over 280,000 households were left without electricity, while in the Volyn Oblast over 215,000 homes were affected.

In Kiev, where an air raid lasted for more than nine hours, rocket fragments fell in one area, although no casualties were reported. Ukrainian officials noted that air defense systems have been activated in several regions, but infrastructure damage remains severe.

Call for increased military support and air defense systems

President of Ukraine Zelensky called on Western countries to speed up the delivery of promised air defense systems, which he says are crucial to saving lives and protecting the national energy grid. “Each such attack proves that air defense systems are needed now in Ukraine, where they save lives, not in storage bases,” Zelensky said in a post on Telegram.

Andrii Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, accused Russia of deliberately stockpiling missiles for use against Ukraine’s infrastructure in the coming months, with the support of “their crazy allies, including North Korea.”

There are increasing reports of military support for Russia from North Korea, with both Western governments and South Korea confirming that this support has intensified in recent months.

A nation in crisis as winter approaches

As winter approaches, the strain on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure increases and local authorities are implementing measures to mitigate the effects of energy shortages.

In affected areas, officials have opened “invincibility points,” shelters where people can charge electronic devices and receive refreshments during power outages. In the Lviv Oblast, more than half a million households were left without electricity as a result of rocket fire.

Similar situations were reported in Ivano-Frankivsk, where anti-aircraft defense was activated and emergency power cuts were ordered.

This latest attack has only heightened concerns that Russia’s strategy is aimed at further weakening Ukraine’s resilience as the country’s energy grid and population morale come under increasing threat as it heads into the winter months.